ARTICLES ABOUT NATHAN HORTON BY DATE - PAGE 5

Propped up by crutches Saturday night, Panthers winger Nathan Horton forced a smile despite knowing he'd be out four to six weeks because of a broken left leg. "I'm disappointed. It's tough. This is definitely not what I wanted to happen," Horton said. "But hopefully it won't take too long and I'll be back." Horton, the team's leading scorer with 46 points, fractured the tibia late in the third period of Thursday's game against the New York Islanders when teammate Dennis Seidenberg inadvertently struck him with the puck while trying to shoot down the ice into the Islanders' zone.

The Panthers and Nathan Horton thought they found a cure for their recent offensive woes. Take a trip to Long Island and make sure you bring a healthy Stephen Weiss. It seemed headed in that direction after Horton scored his fifth goal of the season against the Islanders on an assist from Weiss. But that would be all the Panthers could muster against Islanders goalie Dwayne Roloson, including the shootout session of a 2-1 defeat Thursday night at the Nassau Coliseum. The Panthers, who have scored two goals in their past three games, dropped to 2-1 against the Islanders this season while New York extended its longest home-winning streak since March 2006 to six games.

Great news for all of us: "Reindeer" Randy Moller will be back in the radio booth for the Panthers at tommorrow night's game against Toronto. Moller has missed the last three games to rest up since going to the hospital for health reasons after last Saturday night's home game. Now he's refreshed and itching to return, as am I after taking off the two-game trip in New York. As for today's news, defenseman Jason Garrison and winger Victor Oreskovich were sent back to AHL Rochester.

The Panthers and Nathan Horton thought they found a cure for their recent offensive woes: Take a trip to Long Island and make sure Stephen Weiss is healthy. It seemed headed in that direction after Horton scored his fifth goal of the season against the Islanders on an assist from Weiss. But that would be all the Panthers could muster against Islanders goalie Dwayne Roloson, including the shootout session of a 2-1 defeat Thursday night at the Nassau Coliseum. The Panthers, who have scored two goals in their past three games, dropped to 2-1 against the Islanders this season while New York extended its longest home-winning streak since March 2006 to six games.

How many NHL coaches does it take to turn on a light bulb? In this case, none. "I wish I could tell you that I did, that I figured it out, because then I could have a job for life in any sport I wanted," Pete DeBoer says. No, sometimes, the light just goes on, even if the athlete it illuminates remains in the dark about that occurrence. "I think it has for him," DeBoer says. Just in time. You see, this is the time of year when I traditionally write a "Nathan Horton is underachieving" column, devoting ample space to Horton's aversion to shooting and inconsistency of effort.

THURSDAY NIGHT: PANTHERS AT ISLANDERS When/where: 7 p.m., Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, N.Y. TV: FSF Radio: WAXY (790-AM) Scouting report: The Panthers are 2-0 against the Islanders, including a 5-4 win at home Nov. 14 and a 7-1 blowout on Long Island last Dec. 14. Nathan Horton has four goals in the two games, including a hat trick. Going into Wednesday's game, forward Cory Stillman had six points in the last five games and wing Rostislav Olesz had five goals in five games.

For the first time in months, Panthers coach Pete DeBoer has the luxury of choosing healthy scratches as opposed to resting injured players or using last-second Rochester call-ups for this back-to-back road set against the Devils and Islanders. "We're probably 24 hours from actually having to make decisions on lineups and that's a nice position to be in," DeBoer said after Wednesday's morning skate. That said, neither rookie defensman Dmitry Kulikov, who has been out since Dec. 19 with a knee injury, or sidelined forward Kenndal McArdle played Wednesday.

CORAL SPRINGS – How many NHL coaches does it take to turn on a light bulb? In this case, none. "I wish I could tell you that I did, that I figured it out, because then I could have a job for life in any sport I wanted," Pete DeBoer says. No, sometimes, the light just goes on, even if the athlete it illuminates remains in the dark about that occurrence. "I think it has for him," DeBoer says. Just in time. You see, this is the time of year when I traditionally write a "Nathan Horton is underachieving" column, devoting ample space to Horton's aversion to shooting and inconsistency of effort.

The Panthers didn't have an official practice today, just an optional where about half of the team skated. Before the optional, the injured guys -- Dmitry Kulikov (knee), Kenndal McArdle (shoulder), David Booth (concussion) and Nick Tarnasky (lower body) -- skated. Coach Pete DeBoer had planned on Kulikov and McArdle going through their first full practice, but obviously the optional nixed that. . As for their returns, Kulikov said yesterday he'll play Wednesday against the Devils.

Before Saturday's game, a reporter asked Panthers coach Pete DeBoer if forward Rostislav Olesz was becoming a more consistent offensive threat. "Are you his agent?" DeBoer joked before getting serious. "With me the bar is high with him, so I am not going to stand here and praise the baby steps that he is making when in the big picture he could and should be a dominant guy," DeBoer said of the forward from the Czech Republic. DeBoer might alter his opinion after Olesz scored two goals in the second period Saturday against Tampa Bay, giving him five in the last four games.